Chair bed



J. D. BELL CHAIR BED Dec. 8, 1942.

Filed Aug. 25, 1941 INVENTORT Patented Dec. 8, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE i r 2,304,298 I CHAIR BED 1 Joseph D. Bell, San Francisco, Calif. Application August 25, 1941, Serial No. 408,230

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in chair beds, and its principal objectis to, provide means in combination with a movable mattress frame unit for renderin th space underneath the seat available and accessible for ac-, commodation of an extension or other desired fixture.

In referring to a chair bed, I have reference particularly to the chair bed shown and described in'my copending application, Ser. No. 246,510, which became Patent No. 2,270,576 on January 20, 1942, andof which application the present one is a continuation in part. Reference is also hadtomy application, Ser. No. 202,480 (since issued into, Patent No. 2,249,266), which contained in Figures 13 and 14 a disclosure related to the present one. These two figures were cancelledfrom the latter application before the issuance of the patent.

, More particularly, it is proposed in the present application, to provide a mattress frame for a chair bed consisting of a back and a seat having hinged connection and mountedin a main frame with freedom of to-and-fro movement, somewhat in themanner of a swing.

It is further proposed to provide supporting means for the seat which moves with and guides the seat and'at the same time allows the seat to be swung upward with respect thereto so as to render the space underneath the seat available and accessible for accommodation of a special fixture such as a seat extension.

Andfinally, it is proposed to arrange the sup.- .porting means forthe seat in such a manner that it takes up little-space, does not project unduly below the bottomof the seat and provides ample clearance for an extension hinged to the front edge of the seator other auxiliary fixture.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appearasthe specification proceeds and the novel featuresthereof will be fully set forth in the claims hereto appended.

The preferred form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing which shows an isometric :view of my chair bed, with ne side wallremoved and certain part shown in section. 1

While I have shownonly the preferred form of my=invention1 wish tol ave it understood that various changes or modifications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto attached,

without-departing from the spirit of my invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, .my chair bed 1 comprises in-its principal features, a main frame 2, and-a movable mattress frame latter includes a back section 4, a seat section 5, a seat supportingframeli and an extension].

The main frame 2 may be madeof any suitable type and construction, and is here shown as comprising a pair of side members 8 (only one being shown), a rear board 9 and a front board If) connecting the same and holding them in spaced relation. f V r The side members .8 are provided with three pairs of registering guide channels H, l2 and I3. The guide channels l I extend from the rear ends of the side members downwardly and forwardly.

The guide channels, l2 extend from a point below the front ends of thechannels ,l l in an upward and forward direction, toa point intermediate the front and rear ends of each side L nemher. The guide channels l3 may run substan-,

tially parallel to the channels l2 and are spaced therefrom toward the front of themain frame.

The mattress frame is made to slide in these guide channels in a fore and aft direction, with freedom ofmovement between chair and bed positions and subject to occupant operation.

For this purpose the back section 4 is equipped with two pairs'of trunnions I4 and, 15 extending laterally from the back section. The trunnions l4 extend from the back section substantially midway its length and ride in the channels I I, while the trunnions I5 project from the forward or lower end of the back section and ride in the guidechannels l2.

The seat section 5 has its rear edgehinged to the front edge of the back section as at I6, and is capable of upward swinging movement with U-shaped member 6, which latter is preferably made of an iron rod bent to present a base member l1, two legs I8 and two prongs l9 projecting laterally from the legs. The base member 11 is pivoted in brackets 20 secured to the back section and the prongs l9 serve as trunnions to ride in the front channels l3. It is apparent that under certain conditions, the bas member I 1 might be omitted and the two leg 18 mightbe made as independent rods mounted in the same manner and performing the same function.

It will be noted that the hinged end of the back section, the seat section and the U-shaped member are, closely grouped and may be described as being hinged to ether substantially at a common center.

The front end of the seat has the extension 1 hinged thereto for swinging movement between positions underneath the seat and forward of 3, w i h 5 the sea i pal iem m the wit e extension respect .to the back. The seat is supported by the has a folding leg 2| adapted to swing from a position adjacent the extension to a position supporting the same at a right angle thereto.

My invention operates as follows:

When used as a bed, the back section is supported in horizontal position by the trunnions l4 and [5 in the channels H and I2, while the overhang of the back receives additional support on the back board 9.

The U frame 6 is supported, at its rear, by the brackets 20 and, at its front, by the prongs or trunnions l9 riding in the guide channels I 3,

end to ride in the guide channels of one of said pairs, a pair of rods pivoted to said end of the 7 back rest and having prongs projecting laterally from their opposite ends to ride in the second pair of guide channels, and a seat movably supported by the rods, the rods being spaced to sup- I port the extreme edges of the seat and to clear substantially in the manner shown in the drawing, in a plane parallel to, but slightly below that of the back section.

The seat section, in bed position, rests directly the intervening space underneath the seat.

2. In a chair bed, a main frame having spaced side members, two pairs of guide channels supported on the side members in spaced relation and with an upward incline from rear to front, a back rest section, and a seat section hinged together to comprise a foldable unit, means for supporting the back rest section including means for rockably supporting the same intermediate on the legs of the U-shaped member so as to be 7 in alinement with the back section, while the extension 1 is alined with the back and the seatand has its front end supported on the leg 2|. 7

To change the bed to chair-position, the operat'or swings the seat upward in the manner shown in the drawing, folds the leg 2| under the extension and the latter underneath the seat, and then drops the seat to come to rest on the legs l8 of the U-shaped member.

Downward pressure brought to bear on the rear of the seat, such as may be exercised by an occupant by concentration of his weight over the hinge region, will force the trunnions l5 to travel downwardly in their channels [2, which movement will be accompanied by an upward movement of the trunnions I4 in the channels II and a downward movement of the trunnions [9 in the channels [3. v

The'result of these movements is that the back 4 moves into upright position in the rear portion of the frame while the U-shaped member is retracted in a downward direction to cause the seat section to assume a position of chair angularity with respect to the back section.

The reverse movement may also be readily effected by a seat occupant, by pressing rearward against the upper end of the back. This causes trunnions l5 to ride upward in channels l2, trunnions I4 to ride downward in channels II, and trunnions I9 to ride upward in the channels I3, until the mattress frame is returned to horizontal position.

The mattress frame is sufiiciently well-balanced on the trunnions for frictional resistance to hold the mattress frame in any intermediate position, while, on the other hand, only a slight effort is required on the part of an occupant to shift the mattress frame to a different position.

In actual construction, the side members and back and seat sections are covered, of course, with upholstery; and the back and seat are preferably upholstered to form a continuous fiat sleeping surface in bed position. 7

It will be noted that the legs of the U-shaped member, while supporting the seat section, leave ample room for accommodation of the extension I between the same and do not in any way interfere with the free swinging movement thereof.

1. In a chair bed, a main frame havingspa'ced side members, two pairs of guide channels supported on the side members in spaced relation and with an upward incline from rear to front, a back rest member, means for movably supporting the back rest member including means for rockably supporting the same intermediate its height and with freedom of forward movement and prongs projecting laterally from one its height and with freedom of forward movement and prongs projecting laterally from one end thereof to ride in the guide channels of one of said pairs, a pair of rods pivoted to the hinge portion of the unit and having prongs projecting laterally from their opposite ends to ride in the second pair of guide channels, the said rods being spaced to support the extreme edges of the seat section and to clear the intervening space underneath the seat.

3. In a chair bed, a main frame having side members and having front and rear guide means thereon, a mattress frame comprising a back section, a U-shaped member having a base hinged to one end of the back section and a seat section hinged to the back section so as to lie on the U-shaped member, means for rockably supporting the back section on the rear guide means with freedom of forward movement in a downward direction, means for rockably supporting the free ends of the legs on the front guide means with freedom of forward movement in an upward direction, and means for guiding an intermediate portion of the mattress frame whereby the latter may be moved back and forth on the main frame at changing angularities, the seat section being operable on its hinge connection to swing upward off the U-shaped member for rendering available the space under the seat section, and the U-shaped member being sufficiently open to substantially clear said space.

4. In a chair bed, a main frame having side members and having front and rear guide means thereon, a mattress frame comprising a back section, a U-shaped member having a base hinged to one end of the back section and a seat-section hinged to the back section so as to lie on the U-shaped member, means for rockably supporting the back section on the rear guide means with freedom of forward movement in a downward direction, means for rockably supporting the free ends of the legs on the front guide means with freedom of forward movement in an upward direction, and means for guiding an intermediate portion of the mattress frame whereby the latter may be moved back and forth on the main frame at changing angularities, the seat section being operable on its hinge connection to swingupthe U-shaped member, means for rockably supporting the back section on the rear guide means with freedom of forward movement in a downward direction, means for rockably supporting the free ends of the legs on the front guide means with freedom of forward movement in an upward direction, and means for guiding an intermediate portion of the mattress frame whereby the latter may be moved back and forth on the main frame at changing angularities, 10

the seat section being operable on its hinge connection to swing upward off the U-shaped memher for rendering available the space under the seat section, and an extension swingably secured to the free end of the seat section for accommodation within and free swinging movement 3 through the space between the legs of the U- shaped member,

JOSEPH D. BELL. 

